Vending-machine.



Patented Dec. 21, 1909. a snnnTs-snm 1.

l/WE/VTOR izs ATTOR/VEV5 W. H. FULTON. VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1907.

22%; M fine imzm ' WITNESSES.

W. H. FULTON.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1907.

943,675. Patented Dec.21,1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IN I/E/V TOR,

ATTORNEYS W. H. FULTON. VENDING MACHINE,

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1907.

Patented. Dec. 21, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SEEET 3.

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. FULTON, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 AUTOMATIC SERVICE COMPANY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VENDING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM H. FULTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in vending machines, particularly designed for the purpose of vending postage stamps.

The nature of my improvements will be best understood from a consideration of the accompanying drawings and the following description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical section of my vending machine. Fig. 2 is a partial plan view with the cover removed. Fig. 3 is a partial plan view showing the coin operated mechanism and the automatic stop. Fig. 4 is an elevation showing the end of the coin carrying drum and the coin operated release mechanism, the casing being shown in section. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the coin drum and the mechanism for presenting the receptacles at the vending open ing, the casing being shown in section. Fig. (3 is an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4 looking in the opposite direction, the easing being shown in section. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the automatic stop and release mechanism. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the vending machine, with the cover partially broken away. Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a ball clutch on the disk 8 of Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is an end view of the coin carrying wheel. Fig. 11 is a front view of the same, and Fig. 12 is a section on the line 1212 of Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that there is formed integral with the frame of the machine a three armed web 3, which sup: ports a cylindrical casing 3, in which is mounted the shaft 1, and the casing 2 of a recording apparatus. The bottom of the casing of the machine is formed by a plate 4, having a double recess, and secured to the frame by screws 14. The upper recess in this plate 4 is closed by a plate 5, which is secured to the plate 4 by the screws 13. This plate 5 has a central cylindrical opening,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 13, 1907.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

Serial No. 362,207.

through which the hub of the spring carrying plate 6 passes. The spring 9 is secured to this plate 6, one end of the spring being fastened to the pin 9 on the plate 6, and the other to the pin 9 on the plate 7. The plate 7 is secured to the lower end of the shaft 1 by the pin 16. Mounted on the shaft 1 inside the casing of the machine is the disk 8, which is rigidly secured to the shaft 1 by the pin 17, and which carries a series of movable receptacle-carrying arms 22, the receptacles being adapted to receive the material to be vended. The squared lower ends of the receptacle-carrying arms 22 fit into corresponding slots in a plate 18, which is secured to the bottom of the disk 8 by the bolts 19. Secured to the disk 8 by bolts 20 is a ring 23, which is provided with slots to receive the portion of the arms 22 on which those arms pivot. After the arms are placed in the slots in ring 23 the .upper ends of the slots are closed by the ring 24, which is secured to the ring 23 by the rivets The arms 22 are provided with suitable stops to engage the rings 23 and 24, and allow a limited pivotal play of the arm in a manner which will be readily understood from an inspection of Fig. 1.

The arms 22 are held in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 by the coiled spring 21. The spring-holding plate 6 is provided with an up-turned flange on the outside of which are formed ratchet teeth, with which a spring 11, fastened to the plate 4 by the screw 12, engages. (See Fig. 12). The hub of the plate 6 extending through the closure has secured to it by a pin 15 the winding handle 10. Secured to the upper end of the shaft 1 is a plate 35 which carries fingers 36 adapted to engage with the upper one of a series of multiple recording disks 28. The pl ate 35 in its rotation, by means of the fingers 36, carries with it the disk 29, which during its rotation engages with the pinion 011 the rod 31 and rotates it. This pinion 32 in turn rotates the disk 30 through one tenth of a revolution. This disk 30 carries with it the second disk 29, which engages with the second pinion 32, and so on, the apparatus thus providing a record of the units, tens, hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands. In order to prevent the unauthorized actuation of this recording device, the cylindrical casing in which it is contained is closed by a cap 37 and a pin 38 is run through holes in the sides of this cylindrical casing and in the cap 37 and is locked in position by the seal 39. In order to prevent the backward rotation of the disk 8 and the consequent falsification of the record, a ball clutch 26 is provided between the disk 8 and the tubular casing 3.

The actuation of the receptacle-carrying arms 22 to deliver the material to be vended accomplished by the following instrumentalities: The disk 8 is ordinarily prevented from. rotation by the engagement of the stop 45 (see Figs. 4, 6 and 7) with one of the arms 22. In order to permit the rotation of the disk 8 by the spring 9, it is necessary to depress the arm 22, which is in engagement with the stop 45, and this is accomplished by means of the inserted coin in the following manner. The coin is placed in the slot (30 in the casing and drops into the coin receptacle in the drum 41, which is so constructed that a coin of proper size will project from it. hen the coin has been placed in position, the drum 41 is rotated by the handle 51 and the coin engages with the lever 43 and lifts it, turning it on its pivot 47 and carry ing with it the lever 44, which is pivoted to the lever 43 on the pivot 48, and held yield ingly in position by the spring 46. The spring 65 serves to return the lever 43 to its initial position. The upwardly extending arm of the lever 44 engages with the upper edge of that arm 22 which is retained by the stop 45, and depresses the arm, allowing the spring 9 to rotate the disk 8 until the next arm 22 comes into engagement with the stop This rotation of the disk 8 has removed the empty receptacle from beneath the vendiifg slot 59 and brought a full receptacle into position. This full receptacle is thrown into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, that is, into position to have the material which it contains removed therefrom, by means of the spring pressed rod 42 acting through the levers 52 and The rod 42 is supported in the front face of the vending machine and in a standard 56 secured to the bottom of the vending machine. (See Fig. This rod 42 also serves as the shaft of the coin carrying drum 41. Outside of the box the rod is provided with a head, which may be pressed to actuate the carrying pocket. \Vhen the rod 42 is thrust inwardly by pressing this head, it engages with one arm of the bent lever 52 and turns that lever on its pivot, thus pulling down on the lever 53 supported in the bracket 54. Vhen the lever is pulled down it engages with the upper edge of the squared end of the receptaole-carrying lever which is directly beneath the vending slot 59 and throws the receptacle into position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The rod 42 is returned to its initial position by the spring 55. In order to prevent the rotation of the coin carrying drum 41 in the wrong direction, a projection 49 supported by the bracket 50 engages with the ratchet teeth on the drum 41 in the manner shown in Fig. 4. In order that this drum may normally rest in the proper position to receive the coin, the hub of the drum has a flat portion 61 on one side (see Figs. (3, 7 and 10), which fiat portion is engaged by a spring (54 secured to the frame of the machine. In order to prevent the rotation of the drum 41 before the rod 42 has been returned to its original position and allowed the emptied receptacle to fall back within the casing, and to prevent the inward movement of the rod 42 before the drum 41. reaches the proper position, an interlock is provided between the drum 41 and the rod 42. This interlock comprises two pins 62 and (33, carried by the rod 41. The pin 62 engages, when the rod 42 is in its depressed position, with a stop formed on the bracket 50, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, thus preventing the rotation of the drum 41 when the rod 42 is in its depressed position. The pin (33 projects between the hub of the drum 41 and a collar 66 secured to the rod 42. This collar has a slot parallel with the axis of the rod 42, as shown in Fig. 3, and in such posi tion that the pin 63 can pass through the slot only when the drum 41 is in the proper position.

The operation will be readily understood from the above description, and it is briefly as follows :-A person who desires to purchase the material to be vended, and which is contained in the receptacles on the arms 22, places a coin in the coin slot 60. The coin drops into the receptacle 70 on the drum 41, and it will be observed that the apparatus will be operated only by a coin of the proper size, since a coin too large will notfall into the receptacle and one too small will have no effect on the machine. Vith the coin in place, the purchaser turns a handle 51 and the coin, engaging with the lever 43, operates the lever 44 and turns down that pocket-carrying arm 22, which is engaged by the stop 45, allowing the disk 8 to rotate one notch and bring a full pocket beneath the vending slot 59. The purchaser then presses the head of the rod 42, which through the lever depresses the pocket-carrying arm 22 directly beneath the vending slot and brings the material to be vended into a position to be extracted by the purchaser. As soon as the purchaser releases the rod 42 it is returned to its initial position by the spring 55, and the machine is in condition to be operated again. If the purchaser at tempts to depress the rod 42 before a coin has been inserted and the drum 41 properly rotated, he will simply expose an empty pocket. If he attempts to depress the rod 42 before the drum 41 has been completely rotated, the attempt will be stopped by the pin 63 engaging the collar 65, and if he attempts to rotate the drum 11 while the rod 42 is depressed, this attempt will be stopped by the pin 62 engaging with the stop on the bracket 50. After the coin has accomplished its operating function and the drum 41 is further rotated, the coin drops out of the drum into the coin box. In case the coin fails to drop out, a stop 71 is provided on the bracket 50, which engages the coin and prevents a further rotation of the drum 41.

Though I have thus described the preferred form of my invention, it may be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details shown and described, and though the machine so described is particularly adapted to the vending of postage stamps, it will be understood that it may be used for vending many other things.

lVhat I claim is 1. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a vending opening, a carrier within the casing, a plurality of receptacles carried thereby, mechanism for moving the carrier in a step by step manner to present the receptacles before the vending opening in succession, and hand-operated mechanism for imparting a separate movement to each receptacle to present it at the vending opening after it has been brought into position before the opening by the step by step movement of the carrier.

2. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a vending opening, a rotary disk within the casing, a plurality of arms pivotedly supported on said disk, a receptacle carried by each of the said arms, mechanism for rotating the disk in a step by step manner to present the receptacles before the vending opening in succession, and handoperated mechanism for turning each receptacle-carrying arm on its pivot to present the receptacle at the vending opening after it has been brought into position before the vending opening by the rotation of the disk.

3. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a vending opening, a rotary disk within said casing provided with a plurality of radial slots, an rip-standing ring on said disk provided with a corresponding number of vertical slots, a plurality of receptacle carrying arms resting in the vertical slots and guided by the horizontal slots, a closure for the vertical slots in the upstanding ring above the receptacle carrying arms, stops on the receptacle carrying arms so constructed and arranged as to allow a limited pivotal movement of the said arms in their sup porting slots, mechanism for rotating said disk in a step by step manner to present the receptacles before the vending opening in succession, and means for imparting a pivotal movement to each receptacle carrying arm to present the receptacle at the vending opening after it has been brought into position before the opening by the rotation of the disk.

41. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a vending opening, a carrier within the casing, a plurality of receptacle carrying arms mounted on said carrier, a stop adapted to engage the receptacle carrying arms in succession, means for rotating the disk normally restrained by the engagement of an arm with the stop, mechanism for releasing each arm from the stop, thereby permitting the movement of the carrier until the next succeeding arm engages the sto whereby the receptacles are presented before the vending opening in succession, and hand operated mechanism adapted to impart a separate movement to each receptacle carrying arm to present the receptacle at the vending opening after it has been brought into position before the opening by the movement of the carrier.

5. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a vending opening, a carrier within the casing, a plurality of receptacle carrying arms mounted on said carrier, a stop adapted to engage the receptacle carrying arms in succession, means for rotating the disk normally restrained by the engagement of an arm with the stop, mechanism for releasing each arm from the stop, thereby permitting the movement of the carrier until the next succeeding arm engages the stop, whereby the receptacles are presented before the vending opening in succession, hand operated mechanism adapted to impart a separate movement to each receptacle carrying arm to present the receptacle at the vending opening after it has been brought ito position before the opening by the movement of the carrier, and an interlock between the releasing mechanism and hand operated mechanism, whereby each can be operated only when the other is in proper position.

6. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a vending opening, a carrier within the casing, a plurality of receptacle carrying arms pivotedly mounted in said carrier, a stop adapted to engage the said arms in succession, mechanism adapted to turn each arm on its pivot to release it from the stop, means for moving the carrier when so released until the stop engages the next succeeding arm, whereby the receptacles are presented beneath the vending opening in succession, and hand operated mechanism for rotating each receptacle carrying arm on its pivot to present the receptacle at the vending opening after it has been brought into position before the opening by the movement of the carrier.

7. In a vending machine, a casing pro vided with a vending opening, a rotary carrier within the casing, a. plurality of recep- Cir tacles carried thereby, mechanism for moving the carrier in a step by step manner to present the receptacles before the vending opening in succession, hand-operated mech anism for presenting at the vending opening that receptacle which has been brought before the opening by the movement of the carrier, and mechanism adapted to prevent the reverse rotation of the carrier.

8. In a Vending machine, a rotatable carrier for the articles to be vended, a shaft 1 to which the carrier is secured, a plate 7 carrying a pin 9 secured to said shaft, a spring-holding plate 6 provided With an upturned flange, a pin 9 on said plate, a spring 15 connected at one end to the pin 9 and at the other end to the pin 9", a Winding handle secured to the plate 6, and a pawl engaging teeth on said plate, whereby the spring may j be wound Without rotating the shaft 1; sub- 20 

